Livestock, such as cattle, chickens, and pigs, are fed some of the least expensive foodstuffs that farmers can purchase. Animals that graze and eat low quality feed may be subject to a diet contaminated with bacteria, protozoa, yeast, viruses and parasites. Animals rely on the integrity of their digestive tracts and ruminant animals in particular are dependent on the optimal function of their rumen microflora.
The rumen microflora is a complex system composed of a variety of microorganisms, and often of interest is the composition of bacteria and protozoa. Gram-negative bacteria are often considered to be beneficial to food and energy uptake, while certain Gram-positive bacteria and protozoa can reduce food and energy uptake and can be disruptive to rumen function.
High levels of microorganisms within the animal's digestive track can reduce food intake efficiency and cause the animal to become sick and even die. Inefficient utilization of feed also adversely effects the environment by increasing production of animal waste products containing high nitrogen levels and increasing animal methane emission. Ruminant animals are often targeted for digestive microflora control measures, but horses and other zoological animals also experience digestive disorders due to bacteria and protozoa infection.
Antibiotics in animal feed can kill bacteria and protozoa that have a negative impact animal growth. However, excessive use of antibiotics can negatively alter, or even destroy, digestive microflora causing the animal to become sick, and in some cases, die. Therefore, if antibiotics are to be used, they are often used at low levels to control the populations of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract.
Ionophores are a class of antibiotics commonly used in animal feed. Ionophores are molecules that transportions across biological membranes. Ionophores can have several oxygen atoms spaced throughout the molecule. The positions of the oxygen atoms create a cavity that can entrap cations. Ionophores have polar and non-polar regions that enhance cation entrapment and interaction with bacteria cell membranes. Ionophores are effective against Gram-positive bacteria and protozoa but generally innocuous to Gram-negative bacteria. By controlling the microorganism population and make-up in an animals digestive tract by inhibiting (or killing) select microorganisms, an animal's feed efficiency, as well as health and well being, can be improved.
Many people desire the ability to purchase and consume “natural” meat and poultry products. In Europe the sale, use, and importation of non-organic meat and poultry products is highly regulated. Meat and poultry products containing antibiotics would not be considered natural or organic products. With a growing market for natural or organic food there is a strong desire to discover alternatives to antibiotics. Also important from an agronomic and environmental standpoint are increased feed utilization, improved animal health, and reduced emissions of methane and ammonia. It is therefore desirable, from the perspective of both the consumer and producer, to create new and alternative approaches to common agricultural practices (such as antibiotic use) for increasing and optimizing animal performance. These and other limitations and problems of the past are solved by the present invention.